Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Tao
The philosophy of non-action in Lao-Tzu's Tao Teh Ching
Tao is beyond words and beyond understanding. Words may be used to speak of it, but they cannot contain it" (1:1). The way of the Tao is the force that propels the entire universe. The way of the Tao is also the way that human beings should conduct themselves in the world. Rather than focusing on worldly competition, accumulating knowledge and understanding, the author of the "Tao Teh Ching" Lao-Tzu stressed that: "Less and less remains until you arrive at non-action. When you arrive at non-action, nothing will be left undone. Mastery of the world is achieved by letting things take their natural course" (48:2). In other words, for a human being to be at one with the Tao, rather than resist nature and external forces, the person must seek to be one with those forces, for those forces are 'the way' of the Tao. Action only generates the need for more action, and is thus fruitless.
Instead of attempting to control things, which people often attempt to do in political and academic environments, it is better to be one with the rhythms of nature and the inevitable flow of life. "In the pursuit of learning, every day something is added. In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped" (48:1). Through non-action and harmony with the universe, happiness is created because people are not continually striving to make the world and to formulate their characters into something the world is not, and they are not. Even when fighting in accordance with the Taoist way, one should bend with the prevailing wind: "Those who wish to use Tao to influence others don't rely on force or weapons or military strategies. Force rebounds" (30: 1).
Letting go of ego, the desire to accumulate knowledge and power, is critical to living at one with the way of the Tao. Action means planning, accumulating, resisting and striving, while non-action means peace and reacting and not generating any more needless strife and struggle.
Works Cited
Lao-Tzu. "Tao Teh Ching." Translated by Walker. 2 Mar 2007. http://wayist.org/ttc%20compared/indexchp.htm
By avoiding extremes, a sage can avoid conflict. "Therefore the sage: Eliminates extremes Eliminates excess Eliminates arrogance" (Chapter 29) Sage prefers Non-action: This is the most vital attribute of a sage. The sage doesn't seek to impose or interfere and hence let people follow him on their own will. There is no compulsion in sage's rule. The sage seeks to rule people by example instead of force. He quietly observes and does and people then
Tao In Chapter 29 of the Tao te Ching, Lao-tze raises an issue that is central to Taoism but which a modern American might find difficult to understand. This issue is non-interference. Americans like to be in control. This is not just an American feature, but a feature of the modern world. People have become used to instant answers to their questions, and instant gratification that patience is completely elusive. If
Religious Traditions in the Axial Age Aspects of Judaism that made it "axial" during the period from 900 BCE to 300 CE Judaism spelled an era in the time where there was a worship of many deities, and it brought the idea of worshiping only one deity. Judaism was widespread during this time. It had enough power to influence the people as an umbrella of worship under one deity. The worship of
I am doing this now as I type this sentence. I find that when I type I am not thinking where the letters are on the keyboard or how even my brain is sending the messages from the thoughts to my fingers then the keys and to eventually wind up on the monitor. In fact, when I do stop to think about it I find myself fumbling for the
Tao de Ching is one of the most influential and important philosophical texts in human history. Attributed to Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu between 500 and 400 BCE, the teachings contained within the Tao de Ching have become collectively known as Taoism. The term "tao" or "dao" is usually translated straightforwardly as "the way," but the entire title of the text Tao de Ching may refer to a cluster of concepts
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and his thought is referred as Analects of Confucius composing of his ideas and sayings. For over thousand years after his death, his thought was still relevant in the Chinese thought. Confucius was born in 551 a couple of centuries before Socrates taught ethics and logic. Confucius was being identified as the Chinese first teacher whose his ideas had been implemented in several countries in